926 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



" The cost of butter fat as indicated in the last column seems to depend more npon 

 the type of cow than the breed, there being less variation in cost of production 

 between cows of a certain type than between cows of the same breed. The cost of 

 100 lbs. of dry matter was 57 cts. . . . 



"The first group consumed, on an average, 20.81 lbs. dry matter per day, return- 

 ing 4.7 cts. profit [with butter fat at 25 cts. per pound] ; the cows in group 2 ate 20.37 

 lbs. dry matter and gave 7.5 cts. profit; group 3 ate 19.95 lbs. each and returned 8.1 

 cts., while group 4 ate 21.86 lbs. each per day at a profit of 13.3 cts., or nearly 3 times 

 as great a net profit as the blocky cows in group 1." 



The effect of feeding bone meal on the character of the milk, 



J. L. Hills ( Vermont ISta. Bp. 1893, pp. 106, 107).— To observe the 

 effect of feeding bone meal on the ash and phosphoric acid content of 

 milk, 2 Ayrshire cows were fed 2 lbs. each per day of clean ground 

 bone. The milk was tested for ash and phosphoric acid a number of 

 days before adding the bone meal, and for 10 days after the cows had 

 become accustomed to it. The average results for each cow are given 

 in the following table: 



Ash and phospJwric acid in milk hefore and after feeding bone meal. 



Cow Hilda. 



Ash. 



Pbos- 

 pborio 

 acid. 



Cow Juno. 



Ash. 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid. 



Before feeding bone meal 

 After feeding bone meal . 

 Gain on bone meal 



Per cent. 



0.802 



.809 



.007 



Per cent. 



0. 2142 



. 2263 



.0121 



Per cent. 



0.702 



.704 



.002 



Per cent. 



0. 1809 



.1919 



.0110 



"There appeared little difference in the percentage of ash, but its composition 

 seems to have been slightly changed and the phosphoric acid increased." 



Effect of the change from barn to pasture, J. L. Hills ( Ver- 

 mont 8ta. Rpt. 1893, pp. 107-109). — Previous observations on this subject 

 have been reported in the Annual Reports of the station for 1889, 

 1890, 1891, and 1892 (E. S. E., 2, p. 667; 3, p. 477; 4, p. 491; and 5, 

 p. 317). The present observations were on the new station herd of 21 

 cows. They ate before and after the change a liberal ration of equal 

 parts of corn meal and bran, with hay and silage, and were stabled at 

 night during the pasture period. The milk was tested for 20 days 

 I)revious to pasture and for the same length of time beginning 10 days 

 after the change. The changes in the milk yield and constituents of 

 each cow in changing from barn to pasture are noted. 



"The cows gained in both quantity and quality of the milk, and made more 

 butter on pasture. Out of 21 cows but 2 failed to increa.se in the milk flow aud but 

 2 lowe~?d its quality as a result of the change. 



"TLd average gain was equivalent to nearly 3 lbs. of milk and nearly a quarter 

 of a pound of butter per day aud per cow, while the fat was increased over a third 

 per cent. The quality of milk was increased a seventh, and because of the increase 

 in both the quantity and the quality of the milk, the butter yield was increased 

 nearly a quarter." 



